Who Are Your People?

Local entrepreneur and innovator Bill Warner is an important resource for startups in the Boston market.  He blogs, tweets and speaks on topics of interest to the young startups.  One of Bill Warner’s queries from his presentation about How to Build Your Startup from the Heart has taken on new meaning for me lately.  One of the questions he asks is “Who are your people —  the people for whom you invent or create?”

What Happens in Vegas

What happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas if you choose to share all the gory details. There’s been plenty written on maintaining a professional image online.  Dozens, probably hundreds, of articles urge young people to think about how their social media profile stacks up when a potential employer looks at what’s available online.  But what if you are hiring people to represent your company online through social media?

Reading for Inspiration

I spent a couple of hours yesterday hanging out in Harvard Square waiting for my older son to finish a Boy Scout merit badge “camp.”  I did what I usually do when I have time on my hands, headed for the bookstore.  (In this case, the Harvard Coop.)  I had a list of books that I have been meaning to pick up and random browsing in a bookstore is one of my favorite hobbies — not an inexpensive hobby.  I […]

Brogan and Smith Use the Vowel Method

I just finished “Trust Agents” by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith and am happy to see they used the “Vowel Method” of  Business Book Writing.  Here’s how you write a truly terrific and useful business book using vowels — and based on some of the business books I’ve read, all business book writers should employ this method and far too many don’t.

Why Focus Groups Fail

Title aside, this is more of a book recommendation for marketing people.  Read The Drunkard’s Walk, How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow.   A terrific discussion on randomness, chance and probability, this book can help marketers understand how numbers can be used and misused.